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Sunday, May 12, 2013

Mother's Day reminiscing

Mother's Day is tough for me. Since my son Paul's death, I'm still not over the sadness of being without him on mother's special day. Yet I look forward to being with my young son Ben and his wife later this afternoon and evening. I know I'll feel a lot better later on.Ben generously digitized all our family photos from the time Paul was born on December 31, 1971, so I spent the last hour or so looking through them in iPhoto. So many wonderful memories and so many wonderful pictures.Here is my favorite - taken in 1991 at our beach by the late Mary Pat Dorr - a couple of years before Paul got sick with bipolar disorder. It was a truly beautiful afternoon.

"Keep all special thoughts and memories for lifetimes to come. Share these keepsakes with others to inspire hope and build from the past, which can bridge to the future". Mattie Stepanek. My very best wishes. Jeff.

I came across your story and plan to read more blog posts from you. I don't know enough information, but I saw that it said your son developed bipolar disorder. I know how difficult a disorder that is. My family friends have it and I probably have it coupled with borderline personality disorder. Thankfully I am in therapy and on medications.

I will keep your son in my thoughts. I know how difficult mood problems can be.

Thank you Kathy, Jeff, and Sebastian for coming by Choices. I appreciate your lovely words and the quote by Mattie - a very wise young man.My mother's day turned out lovely - being with Ben and Marissa is always a joy.

National Association of Memoir Writers

About Me

Madeline SharplesI’ve worked most of my professional life as a technical writer, grant writer, and proposal process manager and began writing poetry, essays, and creative non-fiction when my oldest son, Paul, was diagnosed as manic depressive. I continued writing as a way to heal since his death by suicide in 1999. My memoir, "Leaving the Hall Light On," first released on Mother's Day 2011 in hard cover, is about living with my son's bipolar disorder and surviving his suicide. My publisher, Dream of Things, is launching a paperback edition in July 2012 and an eBook in August 2012. I also co-edited Volumes 1 and 2 of "The Great American Poetry Show," a poetry anthology, and wrote the poems for two books of photography, "The Emerging Goddess" and "Intimacy." Besides having many poems published in print and online magazines, I write regularly for several websites: Naturally Savvy, PsychAlive, Open to Hope,and Journeys Through Grief and occasionally for The Huffington Post. I maintain two blogs: Choices and at Red Room.